ABSTRACT

Climate sensitivity assessment, the methodological approach introduced in this chapter, is new to archaeology inquiry. Sensitivity assessment is part of the worldwide effort to improve understanding of climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. The multidisciplinary study of human sensitivity to climate extremes contributes to climate impact assessments and is integral to local to global-scale efforts to prepare for the projected effects of global warming. The chapter shares with archaeologists and those interested in climatic influences on human behaviour a method of assessing human sensitivity to climate extremes. The method is appropriate for any region with long-term archaeological settlement data and high-resolution palaeoclimatic data. The chapter explores the long-term empirical relationship between droughts and population movement to identify sensitivity. Residential abandonment is a potential indicator of sensitivity but other indicators, such as changes in food storage behaviour, could be used. The chapter examines linear relationships between drought severity and residential abandonment for both practical and theoretical reasons.